Monday, January 7, 2013

January 7, 2013 - Nice, France

I get knocked DOWN, but I get UP again!

Aint nothin gonna bring(keep?) me down!

ma famille et mes amis,

bonjour!!!!! So this week has been GREAT!!! We set a goal to contact 100 people, like soeur bertolio and I did, and did we achieve our goal? you know it!!!!! And it went great!! COURAGE, BRETHREN! and ON, ON to the VICTORY! Doctrine and Covenants 128:22. The BEST. I quote that all the time when I'm feelin lame and uncourageous. is that a word? Quand-même. So! I wrote down the stuff that was exciting that I wanted to share this week and its a nice little list. Here we go...

First off, shout out to one of my bffs MADELINE RUPARD who got her mission call to HUNGARY and is leaving soon!!!!! Congrats, gurrl!!! You will do SO GREATTTT and I love you!!!!!!! I'll be seein you in fall 2014!!!!

okay! so I forgot to tell yall about the time we went streetboarding almost 2 weeks ago and the POLICE came! hahaha. It was great, because we had contacted this man who is actually an evangilistic missionary here in nice from cali, and after we had been talking for like 4 min, he was like, isnt that your board? and the police were like trying to figure out how to take it down all awkwardly. hahaha. And there was a member with us and he was like, what are yall doing?? and hte police were like, is this your board? and he was like, its theirs and pointed us out and when we were walking over there, these two teenage boys were like, do we pay you to write on the board? because its the board thats like, if you could ask God one question, what would it be? and there are all these questions I wrote out behind hte main question so sometimes people think its a "write a question on hte board", and so these two boys ask the POLICE MAN who is trying ot take the board down! hahaha. and the police man is like, no, its over! hahaha. so. good. we were laughing so hard about that because they were basically asking to be contacted but to the officer...anyway. something about streetboarding during the holidays and needing a permit? but its freedom of religion, which is allowed here..so we just leave when they show up. In Monaco we arent allowed to proselete (sp???) so we literally have to take our nametags off or hide them, because its against the LAW! crazy, huh? Monaco. So we visit members there. Thats the only reason we go. Pretty sad. but it smells really good in the gare, which NEVER happens in france. holy cow. hahaha. anywho!

So I went to marseilles for exchanges! I was there with Soeur Kohler, who was one of hte first soeurs I met on the mission cause she was in Bordeaux for 3 of the 4 transfers that I was in that zone! there are a LOT of muslims in marseilles. holy. cow. but it wasnt too bad! and we contacted a guy from corsica (which just got opened like 2 transfers ago in our mission, only for elders) and he said that he loves Jesus and then said hes from corsica and that if someone gets in their way or soemthing they just KILL EM! and we were like,..huh?? hahaha. and he was like, yeah! you dont mess with people in corsica, or we'll kill em! and he kept talking about killing people and said that he likes missionaries because we love Jesus and then we finished up that contact and walked away. hahaha. crazy. soeur bertolio said that the mafia is crazy intense in corsica, and I believe it!!!! we also contacted this woman, Nadia (AUDREY ALIAS!!!) and she was just like, yeah I'm interested! and she was pushing a little girl in a stroller and gave us her address and number and we set up a rdv just like that!!! crayy!

so back in nice, we had been praying for finding a man for one of our members, violetta, who is from peru, and we were praying for an ami like audreys in cali, super believing and lamanite kind of man. so we get off the bus to go home and souer marker was asking me if we wanted to just finish the number of contacts we needed for today tomorrow, and before she could finish I just contacted this guy right off hte bus! and he totally looked mexican and I contacted him and he's from PERU and is here on business for 6 months but usually lives in paris and doesnt have fam here, and gave us his numero and we are so STOKED to teach him!!! miracles!!!!!!

we contacted this guy, and he was like, sorry, i'm italian, then i was like, OH! and remembered a tiny bit of what I learned from soeur bertolio and basically got out that we're missionaries and learning more and he was like, OH! and just began speaking italian to me!!! and I was like, uhhhh.... hahaha. but he was like, no, but thanks! and it was so COOL that i contacted him in ITALIAN!!!!!!!!! not really totally contacted fully in italian because it was like a french-italian mix, but still! and our dmp (ward missionary leader) served in italy so I had him tell me how to actually contact someone in italian. I am my mommas daughter!!! (soeur BERTOLIO!!!!!) So the question now is..how do you contact in espagnol??

the families in the ward LOVE the soeurs!!! they gave us so many gifts this last sunday and we have like 4 mangez-vous this week! Theyre great. I love our ward. What I love sharing with members at this time of the year is Alma 5, when alma the younger is teaching the people about the nephites in the land of mormon and how they had a "changing of their hearts". Here it is:

7 Behold, he changed their hearts; yea, he awakened them out of a deep sleep, and they awoke unto God. Behold, they were in the midst of darkness; nevertheless, their souls were illuminated by the light of the everlasting word; yea, they were encircled about by the abands of death, and thebchains of hell, and an everlasting destruction did await them.8 And now I ask of you, my brethren, were they destroyed? Behold, I say unto you, Nay, they were not.9 And again I ask, were the bands of death broken, and the achains of hell which encircled them about, were they loosed? I say unto you, Yea, they were loosed, and their souls did expand, and they did bsing redeeming love. And I say unto you that they are saved.....11 Behold, I can tell you—did not my father Alma believe in the words which were delivered by the amouth of Abinadi? And was he not a holy prophet? Did he not speak the words of God, and my father Alma believe them?12 And according to his faith there was a mighty achange wrought in his heart. Behold I say unto you that this is all true.13 And behold, he apreached the word unto your fathers, and a mighty change was also wrought in their hearts, and they humbled themselves and put their btrust in the true and cliving God. And behold, they were faithful until the dend; therefore they were saved.14 And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye aspiritually been bborn of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty cchange in your hearts?AND...26 And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, if ye have experienced a achange of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the bsong of redeeming love, I would ask, ccan ye feel so now?

I LOVE this. and I invite you all, as I do with the members, to do a review on how youre doing relating to your change of heart. We are either progressing or degressing. Can you feel that change of heart now? Though we should always be changing and striving to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, it being the beginning of a new year can be the beginning of a new you. And can I just say that Alma is the most poetic prophet in the Book of Mormon?? Oh my goodnessss I LOVE reading Alma!!!!! Sooooo good!! AND the talk from last conference by Elder Quentin L. Cook called "Can Ye Feel So Now?" is a verrrry good talk that actually he titles from this chapter!!! I just read it for studies this morning, and it was a nice little boost from my idea on this little message for the members.

Well, the time has come, and so my love(s), I must go. But I love yall. So. much. I dont know how to explain this love, but its like the grinch's heart being 2 sizes too big or whatever. 3 sizes? But yeah. I love yall. I love this gospel. its so true! The Book of Mormon is in reality the word of God. No one can deny that. Its another testament of Jesus Christ, and when people are ready, they accept this. Sometimes agency can be so annoying!!!!! haha. But there are miracles all the time. Alex, my second baptism in pau, is getting married to soeur lavie!!!!!!! March 16th!!!! They can be an eternal family soon!!!!!! WOW!!!! I know that this gospel changes lives and makes us better people. I know that Jesus Christ set hte example for us to return to him and our Father in heaven again. I know that Joseph Smith, Jr restored the true gospel of Jesus Christ back on the earth today for us. We are so blessed to have this knowledge! But its not just a blessing, it is a responsibility. We are responisble for bring others to the gospel, whether or not you have a nametag. Get lost in this wonderful cause!

I Love you all and I hope to hear from you very soon (letters..)!!!

Love always,

Devaneaux -soeur gardner-

ps. could you send me quotes? inspirational, motivational quotes that are both religious and non? ranging from Winston Churchill to jon keats to President Monson? And could you send me like 50? haha. THANKS!!! I have begun putting these kinds of quotes in each day of my planner. its pretty sick, not gonna lie. :)

pss. we have transfers next monday so if you dont get an email next monday soeur marker (or me. probably her) probably got transferred so you'll get one maybe tuesday! love ya!!!!!!